The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett

As a practising CEO I was intrigued and excited about this book and what practical lessons it could provide. The subtitle states “The 33 Laws of Business and Life”. It delivers far more than this and does so in an easy-to-read narrative with plenty of real-life examples across an eclectic range of topics. It’s compelling reading and sits on my desk and is referred to daily.

It challenges a lot of conventional thinking and practices such as “There is no reason to have a Plan B as it distracts from Plan A”. Research has shown that even considering a backup plan can hinder your performance by making you less likely to hit your primary goal. Or how about “You Must Be an Inconsistent Leader”? Most books about leadership and management espouse the virtues of consistency, whereas here we are asked to throw that out the window and consider that people are different, and have different motivations and react differently to similar situations. If our business is about motivating people, then emotional management is everything.

My personal favourite is the importance of The Five Buckets:

1. What you know. (your knowledge)

2. What you can do. (your skill set).

3. Who you know. (your network)

4. What you have (your resources)

5. What the world thinks of you. (your reputation).

This book is so good I have purchased 5 copies and past them on to colleagues in both the sport and business sector who have all come back acknowledging how great it is.

Reviewer: Chris Casey

Penguin Random House